The Power of Love
by Eloria
Summary: How exactly do Lucious and Narcissa get along? Domestic violence.


Disclaimer:Not mine, no way. They're all JK's.   
  
A/N:This is after the World Cup in GoF, just to let you know.  
  
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The Power of Love  
  
The door to Malfoy Manor slammed shut with a resounding *bang*. Draco woke, startled, as the sound reverberated throughout the manor. You'd think in a house this large, sounds would be muffled, but instead they carried so well that you could hear a whisper from one end of the manor at the other end. Thus Draco was often treated to the sounds of his parents fighting. He could remember clearly how they quarreled, even in his childhood. It seems that now that his father had returned, he would have yet another fight to enjoy.  
  
"I saw you tonight, Lucius." The way his mother hissed his father's name always sent chills up Draco's spine. It sounded as though she despised him.  
"You've been drinking again, Narcissa." Lucius Malfoy's voice was wary. "Go back to your bed."  
"You forget yourself!" the sound of flesh hitting flesh. "Remember who here is in Lord Voldemort's favor, fool."  
"Yes, Narcissa." Lucius' voice was taunt with barely checked anger. Draco stood, moving quietly to his door and opening it. The voices grew louder as he padded silently down the hall to a space on the stairs where he could see his parents but they couldn't see him. He'd spent many of his nights at Malfoy Manor in such a fashion.  
  
A livid red hand-print adorned the pale cheek of his father and he stood, trembling and facing his wife. Narcissa's extraordinary beauty was dulled by the tumbler of drink in her hand and the vicious anger on her face. She radiated rage and Draco puzzled at how anyone could think her beautiful once they'd see her like this.  
"I saw you looking at those veela tonight, you bastard." She hissed, squeezing the glass so tightly it would have shattered if it hadn't have been charmed.  
"Narcissa, I wasn't-"  
"Don't lie to me! I saw you! Ours was an arranged marriage and so it was my money that saved your precious family name. The least you own me is your loyalty to my bed, Lucius Malfoy!" She snarled and cast her glass into the fire. It did not break, but spilled out the golden liquid that had been within. Draco drew back sharply as the blazed erupted, fed greedily by the alcohol, then subsided again. His mother turned away from his father, towards that roaring blaze. The glass slowly turned black and seemed to melt.  
  
"And as if the veela weren't enough, you go sneaking around the camp grounds with your lowly friends, toying with Muggle women, lifting them in the air to look up their skirts!" her voice was shrill and piercing.  
"I swear to you, I did nothing of the sort, my beautiful Narcissa." Draco's father declared fervently. Draco winced. Didn't he know better by now? She would never care what he said. All that mattered was what she thought was true.  
  
"Impedio!" Abruptly, Narcissa had whirled around and drawn her wand. Her husband, now frozen in place, watched in fright as she stalked closer to him, like a cat to a wounded bird. Draco bit his lip to keep silent on the stairs. Both men knew what knew what came next. It had happened so often that they knew the routine of it.  
  
Narcissa drew back a hand, slapping her husband again, several times on each cheek until they were both red and swollen. Then she paused to give a small caress. Lucius closed his eyes, straining to lean into her touch, eyes flying wide open again as she drew her long nails through his flesh, leaving deep and bloody marks.  
  
She laughed coldly and murmured, "Accio." An elegant riding crop flew into one hand, and with the other she ripped the fine black silk of Lucius' Death Eater robes, baring his naked flesh to the chill air of the manor. He shivered and she smiled grimly, running the tip of the crop teasingly up and down his chest a few times. Terrified, Draco closed his eyes and wished it was all a dream.  
  
*CRACK*   
  
The unexpected sound of the blow made Draco cringe in sympathetic pain. His eyes opened and widened as he saw the vividness of the mark. She was very upset tonight. He himself had felt the bitter sting of it many times before, when Lucius was not there to protect him, take her attentions upon himself. Draco closed his eyes again, but not before noticing that his father had done the same.  
  
*CRACK*Another blow landed.  
*CRACK*Another mark made.  
*CRACK*They stopped counting.  
  
*Drip*The sound of blood falling onto marble floors.  
  
Then final, blessed, silence. Draco opened one eye to look at his father. His proud, magnificent father now reduced to this huddling creature whose flesh was raw and pained. What had happened to the Lucius Malfoy of old? The one who made silly jests to amuse his sullen son, and who would crush any whom dared to defy him. Draco silently swore never to let love make him a fool. Why should he love, when this is what love had to offer? Why should he give any woman his heart when they would only hurt him so, if not in body then in mind?  
  
"Don't you dare seek my bed tonight, not after what you've done." She scowled, looking hideous and truly evil, then left, releasing her husband from the binding spell and not looking back at him.  
  
Lucius fell to his knees; tattered shreds of pride forcing back sobs of pain. But still his fists clenched in powerless rage, as he dared not move for fear of setting off waves of agony. Draco stood on the steps a moment longer, making sure she was really gone before going down and walking up behind his father.  
  
"Haven't had enough, Narcissa?" Lucius spat bitterly. Draco made no reply, instead pointing his wand and whispering,   
"Salvus."  
  
Soothing scents filled the air as thick lotion flowed from the wand tip and Draco was once more glad for the spells on Malfoy Manor that prevented detection of underage wizardry. Lucius gasped and shuddered slightly as the cool cream covered the welts and lashes on his back. After a moment more, Draco stopped the spell.  
  
When the older man tried to stand, he faltered, almost fell. Then Draco was there, wrapping an arm around his waist, lifting Lucius' arm around his own shoulders, supporting him gently. They made their way slowly down the halls, going in the opposite direction of Narcissa   
Malfoy, going away from her. For as long as he could remember, Draco's parents had slept in different rooms. And now, he carefully guided his father to his bed, tucked him in it, and watched as the man fell into a troubled sleep.  
  
Draco stood in the door way, looking at the miserable figure that looked so much like him wrapped in sheets of black silk and he wonder at the gods' sense of humor. He watched the ragged breathing of a man who'd married as his parents told him to; for money to support a dying name. He wondered how such a man could come to love a woman who delighted in hurting him, causing him pain. In the morning things would be no different but as he stood here, looking down on silver blond hair in the moonlight, he could be amazed at the power of such a deadly emotion as love.  
  
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A/N: October was domestic violence awareness month. It seems like whenever we think of domestic violence, we think of a man beating on his wife. But this is only a part of domestic violence. Men can be abused by their wives, girlfriends, and lovers, too. I know it isn't very realistic, for the Malfoys, but... just a little snippet that I thought of in class. Reposted with spelling errors (I thought it was Lucious, ok??) fixed.  



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